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Chapter 474 What are you afraid of? I'm afraid you'll run away.
Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng suddenly raised his head and stared intently at Xuanzhen's approaching face.

"Crash-"

The chains binding him rattled wildly with the violent movements.

The poisonous stingers that had pierced the spirit seemed to penetrate even deeper, bringing waves of tearing pain.

"How about that? Aren't you surprised?"

Xuanzhen watched Fang Cheng's reaction with great satisfaction, as if admiring a prey that had fallen into a cage, struggling desperately but powerless.

"Ah……"

He let out a pleasant chuckle:

"What's that expression on your face? Is it anger? Or disbelief?"

Clearly, his earlier claims about being an idealist who stayed true to his original aspirations and a victim of betrayal were all lies.

That indignant and compassionate demeanor was entirely an act.

Because he was one of those traitors!
Seeing Fang Cheng clench his fists, looking eager to punch him, Xuanzhen grinned:
"Young man, don't be too impulsive. To be honest, as an elder, I have already done more than enough for you, a junior."

"Such an important secret is known to no one outside the organization except a few people. You can hear it from me yourself, so you can say that you died a worthy death."

He laughed heartily, his words full of sarcasm:

"You should know that over the past hundred years, countless people have fallen victim to my inexplicable actions, not even knowing how they died, and have only been wronged and confused ghosts."

"Compared to this, you are truly blessed with good fortune and great luck!"

Fang Cheng stopped his futile struggles, breathing heavily, his voice sounding somewhat hoarse:
"So, those witnesses involved in the Guangwu Gate shooting incident, and the special investigation team members... were all murdered by you?"

"I wouldn't say all of them, but I was involved in at least all of them, and I can be considered one of the main executors."

Xuanzhen glanced at the iron chains on Fang Cheng's body, which were covered in poisonous thorns and gradually tightening. He seemed quite satisfied with his masterpiece and wasn't in a hurry at all.

He paced back and forth before the altar, hands behind his back, and spoke slowly and deliberately:
"Let me think about it carefully... In that incident seventeen years ago, the people who died at my hands included obstructive passersby, self-righteous witnesses, stupid police officers, and a few ungrateful special investigation team members... probably only a dozen or so."

He shook his head, feigning distress.
"Sigh, I'm getting old, and I can't quite remember exactly how I crushed those annoying bugs."

"Oh, right."

Xuanzhen suddenly clapped his hands, as if he had remembered something amusing:
"Among them are two organization members who have a good relationship with your father."

As he spoke, he licked his lips, his crimson eyes filled with a cruel reminiscence:
"I still clearly remember how I killed them. One of them was a journalist who thought he had some incredible evidence..."

“I just manipulated his body, making him walk to the window of the 30th-floor apartment, and then… with a ‘smack,’ he was smashed into a bloody pulp.”

"Bones shattered, flesh and blood mangled, tsk tsk, that was a truly horrible sight."

"There is still one……"

He squinted and continued:

“It was in his own home. I made him kick the stool away himself and put a rope around his neck.”

"Because I love the 'crunching' sound he made when his trachea was being constricted; he struggled for a full fifteen minutes before he finally stopped breathing..."

"Well, you can't blame me for being cruel."

Xuanzhen spread his hands, sighed innocently, and said:
"It's because they're in the way. After they found out about our plan, they insisted on hindering the operation and even tried to spread the news."

"I can only create the illusion that they 'committed suicide out of guilt' to get rid of these bad apples."

"hey-hey……"

At this point, he suddenly let out a sinister laugh:

“If your father hadn’t died young, given his stubborn nature, I probably would have had to personally intervene to get rid of him.”

"In that case, you and your son will both die in my hands. That would be... wonderful to think about."

After Xuanzhen finished speaking with great enthusiasm, he turned to look at Fang Cheng, only to find that the expression on his face had not changed much.

Or more precisely, it seems... not angry enough.

At least he didn't act like the crazed, furious, and bloodthirsty person I had imagined.

Xuanzhen was slightly disappointed:

"Kid, what are you thinking? Isn't this enough to make you angry?"

Fang Cheng raised his head, his voice revealing little emotion:

"Aren't you all family members from the same organization, calling each other brothers and sisters? Why are you killing each other?"

"Haha...hahahaha!"

Xuanzhen seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world, and laughed so hard he almost fell over.

"You actually listened to all that nonsense I said before?!"

He pointed at Fang Cheng, almost laughing through his tears.

"What about the absence of oppression, equality for all, and the idea that everyone can enjoy a happy life..."

"Only naive and childish fools would regard such empty and pretentious ideas as gospel and believe them without a doubt!"

Xuanzhen's laughter stopped abruptly, and his face instantly turned ferocious:
"That's right! The goal of our 'ideal land' is indeed to create a beautiful world full of hope, but there's a prerequisite—"

“In this new world, we, the extraordinary ones favored by the heavens, must occupy absolute dominance, not those lowly worldly mediocre people and greedy tycoon families.”

Can you imagine lions and sheep living in peace? Jackals and hunting dogs being brothers?

"Ridiculous! This is utterly absurd and utterly absurd!"

Xuanzhen took two steps forward towards the altar, his scarlet eyes fixed on Fang Cheng:

"Now you should understand that the organizational split I'm referring to isn't something we want to split up, but rather something your father and his bunch of stubborn fools want to split up!"

"They betrayed the organization's highest principles, attempting to create a new utopia where 'ordinary people and extraordinary people are equal'!"

"They are the real culprits!"

Seemingly having touched on a sensitive topic, Xuanzhen became slightly agitated and unknowingly revealed more secrets that outsiders would not know.

As soon as the words were spoken, the eerie wind in this blood-red space became even more turbulent.

The countless wronged souls in the blood-red vortex on the ceiling seemed to echo his outrageous words, emitting even more shrill screams.

Fang Cheng was slightly out of breath, seemingly processing this information, before speaking again after a moment:
"What about the Guangwu Gate Incident? Did you cooperate with the military government simply to help that former president eliminate dissidents and strike at political enemies?"

"Feng Zhonglin?"

Xuanzhen scoffed and said disdainfully:
“We did work with him briefly before, and did some dirty work for him.”

"We originally wanted to support him as a puppet, but he was stubborn and unwilling to accept many of the conditions offered by the organization."

"For this reason, we even considered using a mind control technique to directly control him."

"Unfortunately, he has experts protecting him, and those powerful families and special search teams are watching him, so this method is too impractical."

"Therefore, we had no choice but to give up and only maintain a certain level of contact with him."

He abruptly changed the subject, a calculating glint in his eyes:
"Unexpectedly, as the situation evolved, the military government became increasingly unsustainable, and it was at this time that we came into contact with... a better partner."

Fang Cheng's eyes lit up, and he instantly realized:

"Are they from the new government?"

"Yes."

Xuanzhen gave him an approving look:
“Through the Guangwu Gate incident, we pledged our allegiance to the new government, and they used this incident to smoothly come to power.”

"Moreover, the current parliamentary election system, with its relatively decentralized power, actually creates a more favorable environment for our organization. We have more room to operate in Xia Kingdom and can penetrate much deeper than before..."

Fang Cheng frowned, his voice filled with suppressed anger:

"Even so, you didn't need to stage this whole thing and frame your own comrades!"

"Innocent!"

Upon hearing this, Xuanzhen immediately refuted him sharply:
“An organization is like a big tree that needs to be pruned and maintained regularly. If there are worms or rotten parts, they must be removed in time.”

"Otherwise, the root of the problem will continue to spread, and the whole tree will be destroyed."

"What's more!"

Xuanzhen stepped forward, his tone full of smugness: "Through this cooperation, we've established connections with the new government's top brass and gained unimaginable resources and conveniences..."

"Forget it, you wouldn't understand the stakes involved even if I explained it to you, you greenhorn!"

At this point, he shook his head dismissively.

"I really don't understand."

A disdainful sneer appeared on Fang Cheng's face:
"But I know that you are a bunch of scum who betray your friends for power and are willing to be lackeys of the government!"

"Government henchmen?"

Upon hearing this, Xuanzhen was taken aback for a moment, then burst into a piercing, maniacal laugh:

"Hahaha! Young people's knowledge is pitifully shallow!"

He abruptly stopped laughing, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace as he growled:
"Any sacrifices and forbearance along the way are worthwhile in order to achieve the ultimate goal!"

"I can tell you one thing: our 'ideal land' is destined to do something that will shake the entire world!"

"Once I am resurrected using your body, I will join them."

"At that time, not only will the mere Xia Kingdom be in our grasp, but our ideal 'New World' will also surely arrive!"

Fang Cheng seemed stunned by his fervor, remaining silent for a moment before, as if he had come to some understanding, asking again:

"I have one last question... Do you also have a nickname, 'Midnight Red Devil'?"

Upon hearing this, Xuanzhen's fervent expression froze instantly, replaced by an extremely strange look:

"Midnight Red Devil? Heh... Kid, that's not my nickname."

He looked at Fang Cheng with great interest and said, word by word:

"This is your father, Fang Shijie's nickname."

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng's body stiffened abruptly, and his pupils contracted sharply.

"Ha ha ha ha--"

A hint of mockery appeared on Xuanzhen's face, and he burst into laughter again:
"So you didn't know your father's true colors either! Look at your blood-red pupils... Come to think of it, you and your father really do look alike."

He curled his lip, deliberately adopting the posture of a "kind elder" as he introduced himself to Fang Cheng.

"Your father runs a foreign trade company and pretends to be a law-abiding and honest man. He also married an ordinary woman and lives a peaceful life."

"But behind the scenes, he is just like me, bloodthirsty and covered in blood. His perversion is no less than mine!"

"When I first saw how ruthless he was, I thought he must be one of us, but..."

Xuanzhen spat, his face full of disdain:

"It turns out I misjudged him. He's a hypocrite, claiming he's only doing this to uphold justice and that all those he killed deserve to die."

"It's so ridiculous!"

Xuanzhen suddenly raised his voice, his scarlet eyes filled with rage.

"To us extraordinary beings, aren't ordinary people just cattle, sheep, pigs, and dogs? Do we need a reason to slaughter pigs and dogs?!"

After he finished his outburst, he seemed to realize that he had lost his temper.

Then, his chest rose and fell slightly as he looked at Fang Cheng, who was bound by iron chains, again.

The violence gradually subsided, turning back into a cat-and-mouse-like cruelty.

"I have said everything I needed to say."

Xuanzhen sighed, his scarlet eyes fixed on Fang Cheng like a venomous snake:

"As for who betrayed your father... I have no idea."

"Perhaps what I just said was all a lie. The murderer is me, or perhaps it is someone else."

"Who cares? Anyway, you're a dying man."

He shrugged and gave a wicked laugh.

Fang Cheng stared at him for a long time, his eyes bloodshot.

Finally, as if he had exhausted all his strength, he slowly lowered his head, his voice extremely low:

"My father... in the end, wasn't he driven to his death by you traitors?"

Xuanzhen chuckled dismissively, completely ignoring his question.

At this moment, further verbal humiliation is pointless; what's more anticipated is the thrill of tasting the fruits of victory.

He sized Fang Cheng up and down with greedy eyes, as if appraising a priceless treasure, and uttered appreciative clicks of his tongue:
"Speaking of which, I really have to thank you."

"Chen Hongye's physical body, though hailed as a once-in-a-century genius of aristocratic families, is nothing more than a firefly vying for brilliance with the moon in front of your almost flawless physique; it's simply not worth mentioning!"

"Since you've personally ruined the 'old clothes,' that's perfect. After waiting for so many years, it's time for me to get a younger and stronger new body!"

He paused, a twisted look of compassion appearing on his face.

"Don't worry, my dear nephew, I will take good care of your funeral arrangements."

As if he wasn't provoked enough, he deliberately used a chilling tone to provoke Fang Cheng's last mental defenses.

"Wait a moment, I'll take advantage of your vulnerability and possess your body. Then, no one around you, your mother, or your friends will recognize you."

"Oh, right……"

"And your beautiful girlfriend, I'll take 'good care' of her for you!"

He stuck out his tongue, licked his lips, and revealed a lewd smile.

Fang Cheng did not reply, but clenched his fists tightly, and the veins on his arms bulged out.

"Clang clang—"

With a piercing sound as the iron chains snapped taut, the entire stone tablet trembled violently from his immense force.

"Hahaha! Yes! That's the look in my eyes!"

Xuanzhen's expression became incredibly sickly and excited, and he let out a shrill laugh:
"I love seeing the expressions on the faces of self-proclaimed geniuses like you struggling in despair."

“Crushing a genius like you with my own hands would be far more satisfying than swallowing a hundred ordinary souls…”

As he spoke, a rusty boning knife appeared out of thin air in his hand.

"I won't let you die anytime soon. I'll slice your flesh away, cut your soul to pieces, and enjoy your screams!"

"Here, I control the flow of time; 24 hours here is but a fleeting moment in the outside world."

"You will slowly endure all the tortures of the world. Even if your will is made of steel, it will be worn down inch by inch by me, and you will eventually become one of the countless souls in my Soul Devouring Domain!"

As if in response to his declaration, the blood-red vortex on the ceiling spun even more rapidly.

Countless distorted faces squeezed together, poking their heads out and hurling the most vicious curses at Fang Cheng, who was bound below.

On the altar.

Fang Cheng lowered his head, his whole body trembling slightly, his teeth grinding together as if he were enduring the most terrifying torture.

Xuanzhen watched this scene with satisfaction, as if he were observing a work of art that was about to be completed:
"Nephew, what are you afraid of? Can you tell me?"

"Ha ha……"

A low, suppressed laugh suddenly came from Fang Cheng's throat.

He slowly raised his head, stared at the monster before him, and a slanted upward grin spread across his face.

In those crimson eyes that should have been filled with "fear" and "anger," all emotions had receded like the tide.

Instead, two terrifying golden flames appeared.

"I'm scared..."

His voice was eerily calm, as if it came from hell.

"...Go and run away!"

The moment the words fell.

A malevolent aura, far more terrifying and tyrannical than Xuanzhen's, suddenly awakened like a dormant volcano!
(End of this chapter)